The San Francisco Bay Area is entering a brief stretch of summerlike heat, with temperatures expected to soar well above seasonal norms and fire officials watching closely for dry, windy conditions that can quickly turn dangerous, the National Weather Service said.
San Francisco is forecast to reach 82 degrees on Thursday, 16 degrees above the day’s historical average. But the region’s familiar weather divide will remain intact: coastal communities will most likely stay in the 60s and 70s, while inland valleys are expected to push into the 90s. In some elevated areas, temperatures could flirt with triple digits, said Rachel Kennedy, a meteorologist with the Weather Service’s Bay Area office.
Mountain areas north of the Bay and parts of the East Bay Hills are under a red flag warning from 11 p.m. Wednesday until 9 a.m. Thursday. This warning signals that a combination of dry fuel and weather conditions heighten the risk that wildfires will spark and spread more quickly. Pacific Gas & Electric, the main power utility for the region, said it might pre-emptively shut off power to some homes and businesses when the fire risk is heightened.
Wind gusts up to 45 miles an hour are expected, and some windier spots may exceed 60 m.p.h., Ms. Kennedy said.
But relief is on the horizon. By Sunday, cooler air is expected to settle over the Bay Area, with San Francisco reaching a sunny 71 degrees.
Until then, fire officials are asking residents to be careful.
In the East Bay parks, campfires, barbecues, welding and off-road driving are prohibited under elevated fire restrictions. The concern is not lightning or some other act of nature. It is people.
Whether it’s a mower blade striking a rock, a vehicle throwing a spark or yard work in the heat of the day, it does not take much for a routine task to become a wildfire, said Khari Helae, assistant fire chief for the East Bay Regional Park District.
“Ninety percent of fires are human-caused, so if we can restrict the human component, we’ve eliminated 90 percent of the problem,” Mr. Helae said.
The post Unusually Warm Weather in Bay Area Prompts Heat Alert and Wildfire Concerns appeared first on New York Times.
